I just Dune'd.

Discussion in 'Whatever' started by toothaction, Oct 26, 2021.

  1. toothaction

    toothaction Team Tsubu Staff Member

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    I just Dune'd.
    Did you Dune'd, too? Discuss!
     
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  2. Roger

    Roger Vintage

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    I just Dune'd.
    Saw it in the theater opening night. I got what turned out to be the worst theater experience I've ever had, basically multiple people exhibiting all of the worst behaviors. Really aggravating and probably affected my potential enjoyment. I had fun but I can't say that I walked out of the theater with the same feeling I had after Arrival or Blade Runner 2049.

    I've been planning on rewatching it on HBO Max before it goes away. So far, two attempts and I've fallen asleep both times. This is more of a reflection on me than the movie.

    My brain was thoroughly marinated in the original Dune novels from ages 13 to 17, so I've done my best to temper my decades-old expectations with what would make a good movie. Lynch got the visuals right and a lot of the character details but the whole thing feels too bizarre to connect with it on an emotional level. The Sci-Fi mini-series were pretty accurate but it looks like a stage play and the performances are awful. They made me want to stick a screwdriver in Harrison's ear.

    Some of Villeneuve's choices are puzzling, though. No mention of the prohibition against thinking machines. The fact that space travel would grind to a halt without melange isn't discussed other than a throwaway line in a filmstrip. No one utters the word "mentat." Feyd doesn't appear. The Atredies house band has bagpipes.

    Maybe I need to rewatch it first thing in the morning.
     
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  3. nothisisluke

    nothisisluke Toy Prince

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    I just Dune'd.
    I liked it a lot, I think it pretty accurately captures the tone of Dune. The music is amazing. And I really think Timothee Chalamet is a *perfect* Paul.
     
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  4. nico000

    nico000 Toy Prince

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    I just Dune'd.
    I didn’t read the books. Watched it in the theater yesterday. Best sci-fi movie and best movie I’ve seen in a long time. Loved how big it felt, that crazy soundtrack, those larger than life characters with a soul.
    I m really confused reading that WB decided not to allow the second part to be filmed at the same time. That’s insanity. We’re going to have to wait years to see the end and it’s going to turn into a logistical nightmare. Anyway… doesn’t remove anything from the experience I had yesterday. I will probably watch it again next week.
     
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  5. deafmetal

    deafmetal Comment King

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    I just Dune'd.
    Dune is also very important to me. I'm that guy that gave copies of the book to girlfriends in hopes they would eventually read it (spoiler: they rarely did), but I never gave up trying. I tried to avoid all production spoilers but could not resist watching the trailers. I was mildly hopeful but still a bit fearful. To counter my fears, my now-almost-18yo kid was thrilled. She loves both Zendaya and Chalamet and was over the moon about this film although she also will not read the book and has refused to watch the Lynch film with me in any form (even my old copy of the '92 extended TV version! haha). It doesn't help that my better half disparages the Lynch film a bit too often at home, which I try to defend, but that is an old topic. Anyway, we settled into our seats and I could hear the Zimmertron rumbling to life as the production logos flashed. I had heard a possibility of this... but was still surprised to see a formal "Part One" on the screen. I could feel a reverence for the material here, along with some smart choices to really focus on Paul's family story line. One of the things that makes Star Wars a bit boring at times is some of the yak about unrelated galactic politics or taxes (I'm watching Foundation for that - another book to talk about). The cinematography and art direction were wonderful. Compare the costume design here against the 2000 SciFi Channel series (it's not fair, but still). The scene that had me gobsmacked was on Salusa Secundus with the Sardaukar legions performing their rituals... that is everything I want from a film like this, and I hope to see more like that. The pacing felt good; the acting was good; I was never bored; I did not get annoyed with slight changes or tweaks from the original text and those things usually make me cringe. I think I understand the tighter story arc Villeneuve is going for here which suits a 2.5 hour film format. Also, how's this for success... the kid loved it. That is a rare event for "Dad’s old scifi stuff" and one I have to truly celebrate. We are all going to see it again this Friday which is something we never do.
     
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  6. 3wing

    3wing Addicted

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    I just Dune'd.
    It was visually beautiful. That’s about it. It lacked all the weird vibrant charisma of the book.
    So much is left out, leaving the viewer hanging…
    The lynch film was way better at explaining and embellishing Herbert’s iconic world.
    And the worms look like big bholes
     
  7. doomboy

    doomboy Addicted

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    I just Dune'd.
    the greatest flaw of the new version is the lack of War Pugs
     
  8. 3wing

    3wing Addicted

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    I just Dune'd.
    Ye… the new one was zero fun
     
  9. taviq

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    I just Dune'd.
    I loved it! I saw it early because Zendaya went to high school in the bay area and apparently rents out a movie theater every time she stars in a movie. All for local high school theater departments. So, I'm in a theater filled with teenagers, watching a new version of my all time favorite film, and I enjoyed every second of it. Except the bagpipes. I mean, 10,000 years in the future and somehow bagpipes lasted????? Have already watched it twice. My students didn't understand any of it. HA!
     
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  10. blakewest

    blakewest Post Pimp

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    I just Dune'd.
    The secret link between Lynch's Dune and Apocalypse Now is that both movies feature a cute little doggo. They also make a great double feature.
     
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  11. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    I just Dune'd.
    I just Dune'd. My brother and I were nearly late for our Duning, but managed to arrive exactly when it started ... it was uncanny. I really liked it. So did my brother. We've both read the books and neither of us were disappointed.

    I always loved the Lynch version, but it was a bit of a sprawling mess compared to this new version. This new one is lean and mean. More subtle and realistic. The music score was great. The actors were all great. Loved all the vehicle/building design, and the sandworms ...

    Yeah man, glad I went to see it in the cinema.
     
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  12. Russblue11

    Russblue11 S7 Royalty

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    I just Dune'd.
    Watched it at home on HBO max. Never read the book or seen other versions. I felt like I was forcing myself to keep watching and didn’t really enjoy it but visually it was nice. Also felt the bagpipes were really out of place and unintentionally humorous. My girlfriend really enjoyed it though and she normally doesn’t like sci-fi films.
     
  13. Anti Social Andy

    Anti Social Andy Die-Cast

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    I just Dune'd.
    ^^^I too hadn't read the book and have long since forgotten seeing the film so I was unencumbered by expectation whilst 'Duning' and still dug it despite what could see as a long-winded premise and scenario to establish.

    I completely missed the bagpipes! :?
     
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  14. hanxhill

    hanxhill Toy Prince

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    I just Dune'd.
    Watched it for the first time on wednesday at home, enjoyed it and it stuck with me enough to want to see it again. I ended up seeing it in IMAX and I enjoyed it much more. The lulls that I felt at home were gone and the plot seemed to flow much better. Not sure if that is due to me knowing what was going to happen, or a bigger scope to draw me in. It was refreshing to see something that didn't talk down to me or feel like a cookie cutter plot.
     
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  15. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    I just Dune'd.
    I watched it again, and I continue to be impressed with its subtlety. He distilled it down to it's key components admirably, and the washed out colour palette is also a highlight for me (I think some people find that boring). Every single actor is well chosen, and some of 'em get surprisingly little screen time, but they're all integral. I love the way the vehicles are organic looking, the buildings purely functional. No frills, but still cool looking. The tech and weapons, it all looks so real and possible. It reminds me of the artist Moebius.

    I'm annoyed by how many people bang on about the Lynch version whilst discussing this version. But, I suppose that was inevitable.

    >masterpiece<
     
  16. wingnut0

    wingnut0 S7 Royalty

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    I just Dune'd.
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  17. hanxhill

    hanxhill Toy Prince

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    I just Dune'd.
    The washed out criticism make sense for movies where its "we are in mexico, so here's this hue", but the way the visuals matched the tone of how you believe the characters would feel was very well done to me. They're new to this land, its a desert, of course the palette is going to be of a select few colors, but I felt like I was there, which very few movies seem to try to do now. I've never read the books, but know the scope enough to appreciate how they gave that much information to the viewer in such a small window and I still understood what was happening along with the worlds they were building. My roommate was fixated how they didn't have guns as their main weapons or supreme reliance on "sci fi tech" but the way the story unfolded I don't feel it mattered(I know it is explained with the hollywood naughty "J" word within the novels) for the development of the characters or narrative. I appreciate movies where they hit you with "this is the way it is and we'll do it well, don't worry".
     
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  18. bryce_r

    bryce_r Die-Cast

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    I just Dune'd.
    Denis Villeneuve is one of my favorite directors. Prisoners/Sicario/Arrival PHENOMENAL movies. Dune is visually so great but I found it incredibly boring. The cast is great/every weapon/machine etc.. For some reason I just wasn't invested even though the movie does EVERYTHING right.
    I watched it on HBO max and even loved the scale of the special effects. IDK... on the flip side I liked Squid Games a lot.
     
  19. Brooklyn_Vinyl

    Brooklyn_Vinyl Line of Credit

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    I just Dune'd.
    I'm happy to finally be able to check this thread as I Dune'd last night. I tore through the novels and loved them and I was not at all disappointed in the movie last night. The visual and audio experience was great, I was glad I opted for the theater and not my LG plasma TV circa 2006. It was a slow burn at times but because I know the story it didn't bother me because I know what's coming.
    I too am really bummed that they are just starting on making the sequel. I (unfairly) blame the 1984 Dune for being such a bust.
     
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  20. hanxhill

    hanxhill Toy Prince

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    I just Dune'd.
    I had no idea he did arrival, that's a very underappreciated movie.
    I thought squid game was good until the elites were on camera. The end seemed liked they were doing too much so it left a bad taste in my mouth. It was an interesting show with good criticism.
     
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  21. Roger

    Roger Vintage

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    I just Dune'd.
     
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  22. Roger

    Roger Vintage

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    I just Dune'd.
  23. toothaction

    toothaction Team Tsubu Staff Member

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    I just Dune'd.
  24. Roger

    Roger Vintage

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    I just Dune'd.
    Oof. I don't think he gets the original novel at all. His framing of Paul's duel with Jamis is way off too.
     
  25. Roger

    Roger Vintage

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    I just Dune'd.
    In the opening narration of the new movie, after Chani asks, "who will our new oppressor be," we get the answer right after the title card: Paul. No establishing shot of Caladan, just an image of Paul waking from his dream.

    The main theme of the Dune novels is that creating a superhuman is a bad idea, and putting that person in charge of your society is an even worse idea. Added to this are the critiques of the galaxy's power structures (aristocracies and plutocracies) and the mechanisms that preserve those structures (violence and religion). There is no better system being brought forth by Paul's insurrection, only a new oppressor with a new religion and a new brand of violence.

    "And his word shall carry death eternal to those who stand against righteousness."

    If we get to 2023 and the second Dune film delivers on Paul being the answer to Chani's question, then I will consider this a good adaptation.
     
    Last edited: Nov 4, 2021
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